Valentine's Contest
by The Werewolf Mage
Summary: The Marauders and the girls have a small bet going on for Valentine's Day: to see who gets more gifts, Sirius Black or Celeste Helms. Who's going to win? Who knows. But poor Remus is going mad with the score keeping.


Title: Valentine's Contest

Summary: The Marauders and the girls have a small bet going on for Valentine's Day: to see who gets more gifts, Sirius Black or Celeste Helms. Who's going to win? Who knows. But poor Remus is going mad with the score keeping.

Note: I had planned to have this up earlier, but my piece of shat computer is acting out again. Well, kind of goes along with Observing Valentine's Day, but not really. So, Lurve and Hearts to all. And discounted chocolates tomorrow, whoo!

"So, the rules are clear, right?" James asked, staring at the seven people at the table in the Common Room. It was Valentine's Day and the girls and boys had been tempted to take bets each year for the past six years. Since it was their last year, they were going to go ahead and go through with it. And hope McGonagall did not find out.

"Sounds simple." Celeste Helms said coolly. "Whoever gets the most gifts from admirers out of me and Black wins. And you lot are placing bets, right?"

The others nodded. "And Moony's keeping score." James added.

"Me?" Remus asked, looking rather timid.

"Yes, you. You're smart like that." James said, waving his hand dismissively. "And you'll keep tabs on the bets, right?"

Remus gave James a look he reserved for him, mostly. That why-did-you-volunteer-ME look. "I guess..." he said slowly.

"Wonderful." James said, clapping his hands together.

The six of them started to make their bets with Remus. With Gwendolyn Moore placing a large sum on Sirius.

"Does that mean you've got me something?" Sirius asked sweetly, leaning against her.

"No," Gwendolyn, or Gen as she was more commonly called, said disgustedly, "I've just seen the large pile of gifts you usually get from girls. I know how this will go."

Celeste looked smug as she placed a bet on herself. "Right, Gwennie. Well I think I'll beat him this year. Want to make another bet?" she asked, raising a brown eyebrow.

Gen glanced to Celeste, then to Sirius. "Not on your life." she said, getting to her feet and following Lily Evans out of the portrait hole, no doubt heading to breakfast.

Which they should have skipped. James handed Lily his present to her, an emerald ring that she immediately fell in love with, but the table was soon flocked with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff boys and girls who did not care who saw them giving their gifts to Celeste and Sirius.

"Let's get out of here." James muttered. "They won't miss us."

He, Gen, Lily, Marci Morrow, Gen's cousin and the fourth Gryffindor girl of the bunch, and Peter safely ducked out of the hall and waited by the stairs until it was nearly time for their first class, Herbology.

James was shaking his head, trying not to grin.

"What is it?" Lily asked, her green eyes narrowing.

"Remus." was James's answer. "He's going to kill me. Do you see how swamped he is?"

"You should have done it." Lily said swiftly. "It was your idea."

"Yes, well, I would cheat in Sirius's favor. I doubt Remus would be as biased."

Behind him, he heard Gen's annoyed sigh. But he did not acknowledge her. Instead, the five trooped down to Herbology, with Remus soon joining them. Celeste and Sirius had headed upstairs to deposit their gifts and race back down to the greenhouses.

"Who's leading?" James asked casually.

"Sirius by three." Remus sighed. "Who knows how it'll change by the end of the day?" he added as Gen's lips twitched in a small smirk.

"I still think -- "

"Think what?" Celeste asked coolly as she and Sirius joined them. "That I won't catch up?"

"Right." Gen said, her tone just as cool.

The eight of them settled down with their plants, tiny little sprouts that Sprout had said would grow to interesting sizing and produce large, pale purple tube-shaped flowers, which so far, they had seen none of the sort.

But the plants were demanding and there was no giving of gifts in the classroom.

On the way back to the castle, Celeste was handed two more gifts. "Mark those down, Remus." she smiled, reaching into a box and taking a bite of the chocolate inside. "Mmm, coconut." she added with a giggle.

Remus sighed softly but pulled a bit of parchment out of his bag and made two little marks next to Celeste's name.

"Having fun?" Gen asked him with a smile, falling back so he would not be the only one late for History of Magic.

"A blast." he muttered.

"I'm sorry James volunteered you for this." she murmured.

"Don't be."

The two of them walked silently to the classroom, where Remus had to pull out his parchment again and make a few more marks. Sirius was still leading, but only by one now. He saw it was fruitless to put his parchment away as he spotted a Hufflepuff blushing and passing something to Sirius. He made that mark and nodded as Sirius looked at him.

"Do you want me to -- "

"I'll do it." Remus told Gen, sliding the parchment away from her. "Just – just takes notes for me, will you?" he asked. She nodded and at the end of the lesson handed him a parchment filled with pale blue notes on whatever it was Binns was lecturing on.

"Let me see that." Sirius said, snatching the parchment off Remus's desk as Remus tucked Gen's notes into his bag. "Celeste is ahead of me. Are you sure?" he asked.

"Sure as I can be." Remus said, taking the parchment back. "But if you want, we'll count at the end of the day."

Sirius shrugged. He had not noticed how snippy Remus had been. 

"Could you have made a mistake?" Gen asked as she and James walked with Remus to the Great Hall.

"No." Remus told her.

She and James exchanged looks and decided not to pressure Remus. He seemed to be unhappy with his role as scorekeeper.

"Moony!" Sirius called as he spotted Remus.

"I know." Remus sighed, making a few checks on his parchment.

"Actually, here. You know I don't like dark chocolate."

Remus raised an eyebrow but took the chocolate and had a few nibbles. He seemed to be feeling a bit better as the eight set off for a double Charms lesson. Flitwick wasn't going to fuss at them, they were sure. But with the flurry of rushing going on, who knows how many presents Celeste and Sirius would get?

Two for Celeste, three for Sirius, and Flitwick had given them a bar of Honeyduke's chocolate apiece. Which, after a few minutes of bickering, decided that those would not be counted.

"Just dinner left," Celeste smiled, throwing her arm over Remus's shoulder. "Going to make it?"

"Who knows?" Remus asked with a small sigh.

"You will." she smiled. "Because you're patient and sweet and -- "

And whatever else was cut off by Gen's death glare in Celeste's direction. She scowled, moved her arm off Remus's shoulder and hurried on into the Great Hall for dinner. It seemed gift-giving was starting to die out, but there was still a few gifts exchanged.

Everyone waited impatiently for Remus to count up the results. Which surprised everyone. 

"A tie." he told the dumbfounded group of seven seated at their favorite table under the window in the Common Room.

"Are you sure?" Celeste asked.

"Go upstairs and bring your things if you don't believe me." he snapped, sure he was going to dream of checking present marks off of a piece of parchment all night.

That they did. And came up with the same number of presents.

Celeste sighed. "OK, so, now what?" she asked. 

"Now everyone gets their money back and we call it a night?" Remus asked hopefully.

James was about to say something, but he shut his mouth and nodded for Remus's sake. "We'll do that." he said softly. After all, there would be more Valentine's Days. Though, probably not as fun as this one. But they'd bet next year, too. If they could remember to, that was. And Sirius and Celeste were both still single.


End file.
